Not Exactly Jell-o
by nitelvr
Summary: Nick tries red foods with unexpected results.


DISCLAIMER: _Forever Knight_ belongs to Sony and no copyright infringement is intended. This story, however, belongs to me. It is not for profit and is for entertainment purposes only. Please do not publish this story or post this story on a website without asking my permission.

I've been talking off list to James too much (a dangerous thing). Anyway, this bit of fluff was the result. Not exactly jell-o, though. ;) (Hey, there's a title!) Hope you enjoy it.

Comments, criticisms, groans, new titles, whatever should be addressed to James Kythe Walkswithwind... No, to me.

-Sandra Gray

* * *

_**Not Exactly Jell-o**_

**by Sandra Gray **

Copyright 1995 Sandra Gray

(for James ;) )

Nat opened the elevator door, glancing warily about. Nick hadn't come in to work, hadn't answered his phone. Her eyes went to the phone. It was off the hook. She walked a few steps into the room, letting the elevator door close behind her.

Silence.

She was about to do a more thorough examination of Nick's apartment when she heard the elevator moving. She turned around... and was bowled over by Nick striding into the room with two large brown paper grocery bags.

"Nat, what are you doing here?"

Nat picked herself up off the floor. Brushing herself off, she said, "You weren't at work."

Nick, seeing that she was unharmed, continued into the kitchen area and set his bags on the counter, saying, "I called in sick."

"Yeah. Schanke told me. But then I couldn't get you on the phone-"

Nick glanced at the phone, saw it was off the hook. "Damn!" he muttered. He walked over to the phone and placed the receiver back in its proper position.

Nat, in the meantime, had walked over to the grocery bags and was peering inside one. "What is all this stuff?"

Nick came back out into the kitchen. "Well...I... You wanted me to try some different foods. I just...decided to go buy some things."

Nat pulled a squeeze bottle of ketchup out of one bag. "Let me guess. For french fries?"

Nick only smiled.

Nat began pulling more items from the bag. "Red cream soda? Strawberry soda?... Ribena?"

"I thought some other liquids might be nice to try." He pulled down a glass from the cupboard. Then he opened the bottle of cream soda and poured a healthy amount into his glass. Nat watched, flabbergasted, as he drained it. He made a slight face. "Interesting taste," he said. Then he opened the strawberry soda and poured himself a glass of it.

"Um, maybe you should go easy on that stuff."

But Nick just tossed off the pop. Then he reached for the bottle of Ribena. Nat made a grab at it, but he beat her to it. He pulled his hand out of her reach, then walked away with the Ribena and his glass.

"Nick, I _really_ think you should go easy, especially with _tha__t_."

Nick poured a good dose of Ribena in his glass and chugged it down. Nat held her breath as a disgusted expression (much like the one he usually had when he drank cow blood) crossed his face. His face turned decidedly green for a moment.

"I tried to warn you," said Nat.

Nick looked at the bottle of Ribena.

"It's supposed to be diluted before drinking."

"I thought it was kind of dark," said Nick. Then he smiled at the bottle.

Nat frowned slightly. She wondered briefly whether to expect some very strange reaction from Nick. But nothing else seemed about to happen. She decided to distract him by looking in the other grocery bag.

Nat pulled out an assortment of food items: tomatoes, red peppers, strawberries, cherries. She pulled out a bag of candy and said, "Cherry twizzlers?" Nick, who she hadn't heard approach, snatched the bag from her with a frown. She pulled out some steak and watched Nick's nostrils flare and his eyes take on a hint of yellow.

She decided to put the steak in the refrigerator.

A perusal of the bags yielded some packages of cherry, punch, and strawberry Kool Aid. Nat stared at the packages, perplexed. Then she pulled out a jar of... "Maraschino cherries?" she asked. She looked at Nick and almost died laughing.

He had cherries stuck...well, _impaled_ really...to his fangs. Skins of a few more lay on the counter. He stared at her blankly as she managed to regain a more serious air and ask, "What are you doing?"

Nick pulled the cherry _skins_ off his fangs. "Eating cherries."

Nat nodded. "Uh-huh. Nick...I'm...glad to see you wanting to _eat_ but..." She gestured at the food on the counter. "Why these things?"

He smiled crookedly. "They're red," he said.

Nat looked at the items on the counter again. "Well, yes, they _are_ red."

Nick reached past her and picked up a tomato. Fangs extended, he bit into it and started to suck on it.

Nat frowned. "Nick."

"What?" he mouthed around the tomato, which was getting visibly _flatter_.

"All of the tomato is edible. Not just the inside."

He took the by now tomato _skin_ out of his mouth. "It is?"

"Yes."

He looked at the tomato skin in his hand with distaste.

"Thanks, but I don't think I like the skin...You can eat it." He held it by two fingers before her.

"No...thanks," said Nat.

Nick shrugged and dropped the skin in the sink. Nat scooped it up...gingerly...and put it in the trash. When she turned around, she saw Nick guzzling ketchup directly from its squeeze bottle.

"Nick!"

His eyes flashed yellow as he stopped and said, "What!"

"You're...drinking...ketchup!"

"No, actually, I'm _s__ucking_ ketchup."

"That is so gross!"

"Why? You didn't get that upset over the tomato. Ketchup is made from tomatoes, right?"

Nat let out a huge sigh. "Well, yes, but..."

Nick started "sucking" the ketchup again.

"Nick," said Nat. He paused and looked at her. "Don't you think you should...go easy? You're not used to...eating so much."

"I'm fine," Nick insisted.

Nat sighed and took a seat at the table. "Okay. But don't blame me if you get sick. Or expect me to take care of you!" Nick ignored her. "Although at least your excuse for being off work would be true then," she added, looking toward the windows.

There was a sudden thud and a groan from behind her. Despite what she'd just said, Nat rushed over to where Nick lay writhing on the floor. "Nick?!" she yelled. He looked awful, his skin gray and clammy.

If he was going to be sick, it was only what he deserved.

But Nick didn't get sick. After a few agonizing minutes, his color started getting better...almost pink, in fact. He stopped groaning and writhing and sat up, a bemused expression on his face. "It's gone," he said.

"Your indigestion."

"Yeah, that, but..." He grabbed Nat's arms. "The _vampire's_ gone, Nat!"

"Oh, Nick, that can't be!"

He stood up, pulling her up with him. "It _is_! Feel me! I'm warm, aren't I?" He caressed her cheek with his right hand.

His hand _was _warmer than it usually was. Nat took his hand in hers, then moved her hand to his wrist to check his pulse. Her eyes widened as she realized he had a _normal human _pulse.

Nick's eyes and expression were joyous. Nat, however, felt that some caution might be in order. "Nick, we'll have to do...tests. Whatever has...caused this...might be just temporary."

Nick hugged her, smiling. "No, I'm free!" He swung her around, then set her down again. "You'll see," he added, still smiling.

"I don't know, Nick." Could a cure have been achieved so... randomly? She looked around the kitchen. "We'll have to figure out what's done this to you. Record all you ate and in what order."

"Huh?" said Nick blankly.

THE END

I know, I know, I've no big career in comedy. ;) My thanks to James Kythe Walkswithwind for the cherry inspiration. :) Oh, and if Ribena's not red, sorry. Any other errors are strictly mine too. (How's this for "red and suckable", James?)


End file.
